“Cosines and Tangents is a superb compilation where audacity and creativity have never been so close to accessibility”
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1 Cyclosporum (Robert Rich) 6:30
2 The Divided Apparatus (Caspar Hesselager) 8:51
3 Anemones (Little Ambient Machine) 9:01
4 En-Edge (Radek Rudnicki) 7:03
5 AVA 2 (Eden Grey) 7:26
6 Round #2 (Benge) 6:00
7 Angel (d'Voxx) 5:33
8 Berserker (Redshift) 7:48
9 Hands (Jogging House) 6:26
(CD/DDL 64:42) (VF)
(Modular Synth Music)
Sounds serving our imagination! DiN makes our imagination work again with another group of musicians who enjoy working with the complexities of modular synths. And notice that complexity here is not synonymous with inaccessible since this TONE SCIENCE MODULE No.3 COSINES AND TANGENTS is without doubt the most accessible of the first 3 volumes. Of course, there are more difficult moments. I think among others of titles 4 and 5. But overall, this compilation that proposes 6 new names in the spheres of DiN is focused on a melodious approach in ambiences both heavy and intriguing where the extremes coexist with an astonishing symbiosis.
It's Robert Rich who has the honour to begin this third part of Tone Science Module. Built around oscillations and reverberant lines, Cyclosporum spreads a swarm of movements that go back and forth like clouds of sparrows in the form of a grotesque hand that wants to capture the purity of a blue sky. This movement changes direction in a snap of fingers. It's obvious that the imagination is helping, but this title of Robert Rich facilitates this transposition of images on his music. If I know Mr. Rich well, as well as d'Voxx and Redshift, the 6 other artists selected for this COSINES AND TANGENTS are totally unknown to me, starting with Caspar Hesselager. This classically-trained pianist offers The Divided Apparatus. It's a rhythmic structure where keys leap onto a pad full of tones, and each bound reflects a sound shadow that creates another jumping key. Clinking bottles turn into minimalist ghost melody, while others are walking upon walls and floors on this structure that flirts with a short phase less tonal before returning with more strength. After these two rather lively structures, Anemones presents a slow ambient procession structured by a series of slow pulsations. This ambient reverie pulses like a heart deeply asleep and whose brain weaves dreams in multisonores format around dust and tonal filaments. The gyratory movement of the synth adds an element of tension to this Little Ambient Machine title.
If you like the effects and to hear the atmospheric possibilities of the modular synths, you will love the horror film atmosphere of En-Edge from the Poland sound sculptor Radek Rudnicki. Otherwise, it becomes a difficult title to assimilate, difficult even to bear. Its opening is carved in the roar of the modular and its lines of intense din. There is no music here! Just noise and sound effects which flirt with beyond the grave. And when I say noises; there are moments of short silence that leap into our ears with violence, so much is the void and noise relationship at its height. It says it all... Eden Gray's AVA 2 is another title difficult to tame, unless you stick a horror scenario to it, but horror with a big H. We leave the mortuary ambiences to frolic with the tonal flakes of Benge in Round # 2. A light and catchy title that reminds me of some structures of Steve Roach's harmonic beats in Traveler, but with more effects of white noises and gaseous jets. I liked! Angel from d'Voxx corresponds in all respects to the atmospheres we found in the Télégraphe album. A little gem that came out this summer on DiN. It's a procession in 3 beats, 3 tones and 3 tints with an approach, sordid at times, that separates with precision the rhythmic and harmonic elements. Redshift! The last original music from the band of Mark Shreeve dates back to 2015 with Life to Come. And to hear Berserker, the sound signature of Redshift has not aged and shows that there is as much creative rhythm in its vibes. Pure Redshift! Heavy and incisive... Jogging House is a German artist who describes himself as naive and dreamy. And it's a nice way to describe the very serene moods in Hands. A good title of a serenity New Age that sounds out of balance here but that is also very charming in this compilation which is of incredible richness to make work our imagination. Like with Hands where I float at the height of the branches to contemplate birds not yet listed and that are singing divinely. Yes, the sounds at the service of our imagination ...
At DiN with TONE SCIENCE MODULE No.3 COSINES AND TANGENTS, a superb compilation where audacity and creativity have never been so close to accessibility.
Sylvain Lupari (October 31st, 2019) *****
Available at DiN Bandcamp
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